Tehran could reportedly agree to face-to-face meeting if Washington lifts certain sanctions
Iran would want to see a concrete goodwill gesture from the US before any face-to-face talks between the two countries’ officials could take place, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing sources.
Negotiations initiated by US President Donald Trump to address Iran’s nuclear program are set to take place in Oman this week. Trump said on Monday that “very high-level talks” would be direct, but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has stated they would remain indirect.
A regional diplomat told Reuters, citing Iranian officials, that for direct talks to happen there must be a “goodwill gesture.”
The US should “lift some sanctions or unfreeze some money,” the diplomat reportedly said.
Washington has imposed extensive sanctions on Tehran over the country’s nuclear program, targeting its economy, financial system, and energy sector.
In 2015, Iran signed UN-backed agreement – known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – to curb its nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump withdrew the US from the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” policy, accusing Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear bomb and imposing fresh sanctions on the country’s oil sector.
Tehran denies pursuing nuclear weapons, maintaining its nuclear activities are peaceful. It has repeatedly criticized the US sanctions as illegal and unjustified.
In an opinion peace published by the Washington Post on Tuesday, Araqchi called Iran’s preference for indirect negotiations a “strategic choice,” citing “serious doubts” about US intentions, worsened by threats to resume “maximum pressure” tactics before talks.
Trump said he favored a diplomatic solution but warned that failure to reach an agreement would result in a “very bad day” for Iran, threatening to bomb the country.
Tehran said it was ready to respond to any aggression and reportedly placed its military on high alert on Sunday.
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said late last year that Iran had increased its uranium enrichment to 60% purity, which raised concerns. Weapons-grade material requires around 90% enrichment.
Araqchi said there was no evidence Iran had violated its commitments, a position he said US intelligence assessments had repeatedly confirmed.
He added that Iran prefers diplomacy but knows how to defend itself. “To move forward today, we first need to agree that there can be no ‘military option,’ let alone a ‘military solution,’” he said, adding that the proposal for indirect negotiations remains on the table and that “the ball is now in America’s court.”
